Distribution of cities in AlbertaTo qualify as a city in Alberta, a sufficient population size (over 10,000 people) must be present and a majority of the buildings must be on parcels of land smaller than 1850 square metres.[1] A community is not always incorporated as a city even if it meets these requirements. For example, Fort McMurray merged with Improvement District No. 18 in 1995 to form the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. As a result, it lost its city status and is officially known as a hamlet. Some communities attained city status without reaching the 10,000-population threshold, such as Drumheller (which reverted to town status in 1997). Sherwood Park, despite having ample qualifications to be a city, has chosen to remain, legally, a hamlet.